Looking at the lovely picture of Sinus Iridum a few posts back,I wonder if the rim of the original crater is supposed to besomewhere under the lava plain and whether the subsurface radar of the rover could pick it up.

Yes, it would be under the plains, but probably too deep to be detected. I am more interested in a different possibility - there's a bright/dark boundary between two different mare units, best seen in Clementine data (I posted a false color version higher up the thread). If they land near the boundary and drive over it they may be able to detect the underlying unit beneath the overlying one and get the thickness of the top unit. In fact they may get thichnesses of multiple flow units.

This map shows the extent of the landing region, extending quite far outside Sinus Iridum as well as inside it, and the coverage by Chang'E 2 at about 1.5 m/pixel. When we know where the landing will take place I will be adding more maps to zoom in on the site.

You know, that may not be a bad idea. Depending on the volume of images we get from the Chinese, it may be possible to follow the traverse somewhat real-time.

I would imagine we will have to wait to see if we get enough imagery to warrant it, but I'm beginning to think that we may need a dedicated Chang'e/Yutu folder, just as each of the Mars rovers has its own folder and LRO has its own folder, etc.

I am just on pins and needles waiting to see our first new lunar surface vista in decades!

-the other Doug

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“The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain

I guess I wasn't subtle enough! Yes, I am planning to map the route - whether in its own thread or not, and that may depend on image access. I am collecting material for a new Moon atlas and this will be part of it.

I will rely very much on our very helpful Chinese contributors for pointing out new articles and other information, translating names of features in the landscape etc.

Yes, it would be under the plains, but probably too deep to be detected. I am more interested in a different possibility - there's a bright/dark boundary between two different mare units, best seen in Clementine data (I posted a false color version higher up the thread). If they land near the boundary and drive over it they may be able to detect the underlying unit beneath the overlying one and get the thickness of the top unit. In fact they may get thichnesses of multiple flow units.

Phil

So, Chang'e/Yutu will be landing/roving on top of a geologic sandwich.

The rover should be deployed from the lander at 20:38-22:21 UTC on the same day. Then some time within the communication window on December 15 at 07:21-15:38 UTC, the lander and rover will photograph each other and sing Moon River together during dating.

Time for a rather trivial prediction. Unless Chang'E 3 lands at the far eastern end of the mapped landing area, the mountain Promontorium Laplace will be visible on the horizon, barring small-scale local obstructions. That will help to give an idea of the location of the landing site quite quickly.

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